Even though "free to play" is a misleading scam; I can't help feeling that parents/guardians are the problem here.

- BrendanSat, 13 Apr 2013 18:17:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (Brendan)CommentsRE: Um.http://www.osnews.com/thread?558387
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558387Always require a password for every purchase. People have "1 Click Shopping" on devices that they then hand to their toddlers. It's replacing commercials that have your kids saying, "Mom! Dad! I want that!" with them just purchasing it with their parents' credit card without the parents knowing.Sat, 13 Apr 2013 18:55:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (andrewclunn)CommentsRE[2]: Um.http://www.osnews.com/thread?558388
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558388Advertising to children is illegal in Canada. Should we ban those apps across the big pond?Sat, 13 Apr 2013 19:08:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (gagol)Commentssimpsons - Tapped outhttp://www.osnews.com/thread?558391
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558391In this game you can buy donugths to speed up the game or change them for premium items. The first option you are shown cots 89.99 â¬.Sat, 13 Apr 2013 20:20:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (jgfenix)CommentsAbout timehttp://www.osnews.com/thread?558392
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558392It is about time that somebody looked into this, which is nothing short of fraud.
I got a stupid racing game, and in order to begin to use it I spent about 20 Euro (call me an idiot if you want, I won't take offence)
Plus they sent literally thousands of messages every day.
The old method, you pay once but you get all the features immediately, is extremely fair by comparison.Sat, 13 Apr 2013 20:21:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (Anonymous Penguin)CommentsThat's what we gethttp://www.osnews.com/thread?558410
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558410The app movement drove prices down towards $0.99. Obviously unless you're in the top spots, you can't make any money at 70cents/sale.
Why are we surprised that game studios are turning to alternative revenue sources to fund their games? If you don't like the model, don't buy the game. Simple as that.Sun, 14 Apr 2013 03:30:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (leos)CommentsRE: Um.http://www.osnews.com/thread?558413
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558413

Where the flick does a 5-year old get Â£1700???

Even though "free to play" is a misleading scam; I can't help feeling that parents/guardians are the problem here.

Don't know if things are different in the UK, but in France you cannot own the kind of bank account which works with a credit card below 18. That limitation is probably related to minors' lack of legal responsability: if you cannot be held responsible of, say, keeping your banking information secret, what should the bank do when you stupidly leak it out and then come yelling at them?

This might explain the situation a bit, although if the parents had thought it up a little, they would probably have opened and appropriately tweaked a bank account for the kid under their own names. With the tweaking revolving around not letting the kid spend too much, and especially no more than he has.Edited 2013-04-14 06:28 UTCSun, 14 Apr 2013 06:14:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (Neolander)CommentsRE: simpsons - Tapped outhttp://www.osnews.com/thread?558414
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558414

In this game you can buy donugths to speed up the game or change them for premium items. The first option you are shown cots 89.99 â¬.

Are those some kind of gold-plated doughnuts with encrusted jewels?Sun, 14 Apr 2013 06:22:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (Neolander)CommentsComment by Gone fishinghttp://www.osnews.com/thread?558418
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558418Looks like proprietary software to me. Getting Windows software over the internet is like try to buy a cup of tea in a whore house, whilst using the Apple app store like visiting a very dodgy bizarre in a police state.

Makes me glad me the Kids use opensource I can let them use the software centre on their PCs without fearing something bad is going to happen. Who cares if you cant get a game with the worlds most expensive doughnuts, maybe if they get bored with the games they'll learn how to use the computer.Sun, 14 Apr 2013 09:17:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (Gone fishing)CommentsProbably a good thinghttp://www.osnews.com/thread?558431
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558431After doing a bit of consumer law as part of my engineering course, we have pretty sensible rules for the most part about advertising and purchases.

Hopefully this would get rid of a lot of shitty Micro Purchase games. I don't mind DLC content (Great when it gets bundled on the PS3 or Steam).Sun, 14 Apr 2013 13:39:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (lucas_maximus)CommentsRE: That's what we gethttp://www.osnews.com/thread?558435
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558435I see it differently. Far too many people hope to make easy money with appalling quality apps for smartphones or tablets. Better applications don't cost $0.99.
For instance Hiarcs for iPad/iPhone costs $9.99.
But that is a different matter. Here we are talking about applications tagged as free, but which aren't free at all. Thus a scam.Sun, 14 Apr 2013 17:06:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (Anonymous Penguin)CommentsRE: Um.http://www.osnews.com/thread?558451
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558451

... I can't help feeling that parents/guardians are the problem here.

- Brendan

I don't know if you have used an iPhone, but *by default* it will remember the password that is entered into the App Store for quite a while. Also *by default* In App Purchases are allowed and do not require a password to be entered. Now obviously, the first thing that any reasonably tech savy parent (i.e. 15% of the population) will do is turn off all this crap.

Whenever I look at the top grossing apps, it is generally the "free" apps which are aimed at children under the age of ten that are the top grossing apps. Generally they will have outrageously overpriced IAPs that no adult in their right mind would purchase or actively allow to be purchased.

Then there are the paid for games (i.e. Disney's "Where's my Water") that will bring up an advert for another game as soon as you load the game. Often they will have heavily misleading click bait - such as 'click here to play' when what they mean is 'click here to buy this other game and then play that'. If you sit down ten children with a freshly installed copy of certain games (whilst the App Store credentials are still cached) I bet you will find that only one gets to the game and the other nine make numerous further purchases.Sun, 14 Apr 2013 18:44:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (steogede2)CommentsRE[2]: Um.http://www.osnews.com/thread?558467
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558467Why would one need a credit card for that? At least in Finland you can buy as much crap as you want with text messages adding directly to your phone bill. Not everyone remembers to add a limit to their kids phone subscription. At least not before the first bill of a couple thousands euros.Sun, 14 Apr 2013 20:25:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (kompak)CommentsComment by ilovebeerhttp://www.osnews.com/thread?558484
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558484Another issue I think should be addressed is intentional "traps" where users spend those coins/gems/jewels/whatevers on accident but have no undo option, no confirmation before spending, and no help via customer service. The same goes for sudden pop-ups with big "buy" buttons and a little tiny close button.

I know several people who allow their kids to make these purchases using allowance, or as a reward for good work, etc., and this problem is a recurring theme. One company I've heard mentioned several times is "Team Lava". Apparently their policy is if you make an accidental purchase then `f-you that's you're problem`.

Any time real money changes hands, the customer should have some kind of protection from these `traps`. Especially when these games are obviously geared towards children.Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:08:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (ilovebeer)CommentsRE: Um.http://www.osnews.com/thread?558497
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558497I agree on the Parents/Guardians problem,
Like most of our generation before parents are delegating chidren interactions with TV/Video Games/iPad/Tablets (mind you I like playing video games).

On the other hand the iTunes Store issue with requiring a password (that it would remember for a period of time ) with free apps is a big issue, that Apple cannot solve without a big usability change (a "remember my password for 5 mins" checkbox).Mon, 15 Apr 2013 02:57:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (dvhh)CommentsRE: Um.http://www.osnews.com/thread?558500
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558500

Even though "free to play" is a misleading scam; I can't help feeling that parents/guardians are the problem here.

Perhaps in an individual case but on the whole the problem is individuals and companies engaging in fraudulent behaviour.Mon, 15 Apr 2013 03:27:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (Soulbender)CommentsRE[3]: Um.http://www.osnews.com/thread?558510
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558510There is a mechanism for carrier billing in France too, but none of the "modern" mobile OSs support it in their store.Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:44:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (Neolander)CommentsRE: That's what we gethttp://www.osnews.com/thread?558520
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558520They are doing the same thing that started with gaming with the PS3 and Xbox360 DLC, it has permeated all gaming platforms that have an internet connection.

Thus you'll still pay $20-70 for the game base install, then have to be bled dry for DLC or other in game crap.Mon, 15 Apr 2013 06:38:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (Kivada)CommentsRE: Um.http://www.osnews.com/thread?558539
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558539Then you probably are not a parent.

The problem is that it is too easy to "one click buy" from these applications. A 5-year old kid doesn't know what electronic money is, he can merely achieve his way through a menu as if it was another part of the game.

Conversely, parents are not always geeks & techies. There are myriads of people out there, which qualify as "normal" parents, and which will never try to look at some obscure menu with lot of inscrutable options. They merely assume that the "default settings" is right, and protect them in a "common sense" way.

Condemning them is like condemning someone from having walked into a minefield conveniently warned with a semi-hidden small paper in Chinese font.

My take : it's up to the money-grabber store (i.e. Apple/Google) to ensure that no purchase can be done too easily that a child can convulsively use it. It's a system flaw. Insanely taken advantage of by borderline business practice. Well, borderline... I'm getting kind these days.Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:03:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (Tractor)CommentsRE: That's what we gethttp://www.osnews.com/thread?558541
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558541

The app movement drove prices down towards $0.99. Obviously unless you're in the top spots, you can't make any money at 70cents/sale.
Why are we surprised that game studios are turning to alternative revenue sources to fund their games? If you don't like the model, don't buy the game. Simple as that.

We don't, it's kids who don't know any better that buy that crap; which is the whole bloody point of this investigation.Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:23:00 GMTdonotreply@osnews.com (Laurence)CommentsParents Vs Developershttp://www.osnews.com/thread?558644
http://www.osnews.com/thread?558644I have kids and both have their own Itunes store accounts. They can only top them up with Pre-paid cards, which they have to buy - from me. I would have thought this approach is obvious, but in reality it isn't.

For starters, it doesn't apply to people with only one device. like a shared family iPad. Parents can be blissfully unaware of the crap-ware "free games" that require in-game purchases of some virtual coinage in order to progress faster.

My daughter learned that hard way about those games when she used up her itunes top-up card and now avoids them. However, had that account been linked to my credit card she might well have spent hundreds or thousands of dollars.

I would like to think the iTunes email notifications would provide a heads up, but when your kid installs tons of those "free" games I guess it's easy to stop paying attention.